63rd Howitzer Artillery Brigade

Formed in October 1943 in the Moscow region on the basis of the 135th Totsky howitzer artillery regiment as the 63rd howitzer artillery brigade. Supporting artillery fire fighting parts and formations of owls. troops, a brigade crushed German troops in Belarus, Poland and on the outskirts of Berlin. For the first time she participated in the battle on November 11, 1943 near Gomel. As part of the 22nd Artillery Division of the RGB breakthrough, she fought for years. Mozyr , Kalinkovichi , Bobruisk , Baranovichi , Brest .

For the difference in the battles during the liberation of Brest, she was given the honorary title of Brest (10.8.1944). Forcing the river. The Western Bug entered the territory of Poland, where it directly participated in the storming of the fortified city of Prague (a suburb of Warsaw) and in breaking through the defenses of the German troops south of Warsaw.

In the battles for the liberation of Poland, many warriors of the brigade showed examples of heroism and valor. On September 10, in the area of ​​the village of Mendzles, the senior sergeant T.P. Safronov set up a self-propelled unit and destroyed the enemy’s machine gun, then dragged along a group of fighters from the rifle unit and with it repelled the enemy counterattack. The next day, Safronov from a captured anti-tank gun hit a German self-propelled gun, was seriously wounded in both hands, but did not leave the battlefield until the infantry consolidated on the line won back from the enemy. For these feats Safronov, Timofey Petrovich was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union ^[1] .

Courageously fought with the Germans and other warriors of the brigade.

For the exemplary performance of the command assignments during the liberation of the city of Sochachov, the brigade was awarded the Order of the Red Banner on February 19, 1945.

Supporting the offensive of the rifle formations of the 47th Army of the 1st Byelorussian Front , the brigade regiments participated in the defeat of the enemy's surrounded grouping in the town of Shnaydemül ( Pyla ), then in the offensive in the Stetta sector. For differences in battles during the breakthrough of enemy defenses east of the town of Stargard and the seizure of several German cities in Pomerania, the 135th and 278th howitzer artillery regiments were awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky , and the 236th howitzer artillery regiment was awarded the honorary title of Pomeran on April 26.

In April 1945, the brigade, in cooperation with units of the 16th Rifle Corps of the 33rd Army of the 1st Byelorussian Front, fought hard to eliminate the Frankfurt-Gubensky group of German troops south-east of Berlin .

For exemplary execution of command assignments in these battles, on June 11, 1945, the brigade and the 135th howitzer artillery regiment were awarded the Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky of the 2nd degree , and the 236th howitzer artillery regiment received the Order of Alexander Nevsky .

During the war, the team fought 4,300 km and fired about 144 thousand shells at the enemy, inflicting heavy damage on manpower, weapons and technical equipment.

For combat exploits 3381 warrior brigade was awarded governments, awards.

Its full name was the brigade for combat awards and honorary names of the regiments that comprised it: the 63rd howitzer artillery Brest-Totsk-Pomeranian Red Banner twice order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky three times the order of Alexander Nevsky brigade .

• It consisted of the 135, 236 and 278th howitzer artillery regiments.

As part of the 22nd Artillery Division of the RGC breakthrough ; 47th Army 1st Belorussian Front; in cooperation with the units of the 16th rifle corps of the 33rd army of the 1st Byelorussian Front

• Brigade commanded:
• regiment. F. F. Zvonarenko (Oct. - Dec. 1943),
• regiment. A.I. Yurgelevich (Dec. 1943 - Feb. 1944),
• the regiment G. N. Kurasov (Feb. — May 1944),
• regiment. K.A. Pappa (May - Nov. 1944),
• regiment. I.M. Vakhromeev (Nov. 1944 - March 1945)
• regiment. E. A. Okhatrin (March 1945 - until the end of the war).

•   Safronov, Timofey Petrovich Senior Sergeant, Commander of the Intelligence Section of the 5th Battery of the 135th Howitzer Artillery Regiment of the Brigade

• The 22nd Artillery Gomel Red Banner Order of Suvorov, Kutuzov and Bogdan Khmelnitsky Breakthrough Division

• Grechko A. A. "Brest-Totsk-Pomeranian howitzer artillery brigade" // Soviet Military Encyclopedia. - Moscow: Military Publishing, 1976. - T. 1. - p. 593-594. - 106 000 copies

• Reference books on Soldat.ru